LAPS Archives - Ascend Magazine

The sky is the limit

sandramc — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 14:25:42 +0000

When the Delta plane hit hard, skidding along the runway, flames shooting out before flipping over on a blustery, snowy afternoon at Toronto Pearson airport, I was already in the air on a different weather-delayed flight, completely unaware of the chaos below. It was only upon landing that the flurry of anxious text messages from worried family and friends came beeping through.

It felt like a near miss. Had I been on a later flight, I would have been caught up in the aftermath of airport operations disruptions and passenger confusion with hundreds of cancellations and delays over several days.

91��ɫ experts in disaster and emergency management, artificial intelligence (AI) and software engineering say these kinds of crises require highly complicated and detailed responses involving multiple people and systems, from first responders and airport operations to government agencies, working seamlessly together. In a world where AI is bursting into the mainstream, two 91��ɫ professors believe the effect of AI on airports to help better choreograph the many pieces during a crisis could have a huge impact.

Research and Training on the Future of Airports is the newest project of y, director of CIFAL 91��ɫ and executive director of at 91��ɫ, and , associate director of CIFAL 91��ɫ. As part of the project, they will research and develop AI solutions for airports to help minimize risk and better coordinate response and recovery operations to ensure timely medical intervention, evacuation and safety in a crisis.

“During a disruption, there is the potential for AI to allocate staff, reroute baggage flows, or simulate different recovery scenarios to help airports respond and recover quickly and in a coordinated way,” says Nayebi.

The project positions CIFAL 91��ɫ as a global leader in how airports prepare for these challenges together with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research’s Airports and Economic Development Global Training Programme, with AI as an important piece.

“AI can help minimize the risks, help airports prepare for emergencies, respond better to emergencies, and recover or continue their operations after the emergencies."

The professors believe AI can have a much deeper role in operations. “There are possibilities for predicting potential hazards, impacts on airport operations using AI analytics, for example, considering external factors like weather conditions,” says Asgary. He is part of 91��ɫ’s undergraduate and graduate in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies and Faculty of Graduate Studies – the only graduate program of its kind in Ontario and one of only two in Canada.

“AI can help minimize the risks, help airports prepare for emergencies, respond better to emergencies, and recover or continue their operations after the emergencies. In our view, because airports have robust data collection for many of their functions, they are ideal when it comes to implementing AI analytics to help with solutions.”

Although last winter the emergency was a plane crash, it could have been a hurricane, flood, earthquake, tornado or fire. A crisis could also include a strike by airline workers or a cyber attack. These types of internal, external and regional crises can affect airport operations as well as the larger community. The capabilities of AI in airport operations goes far beyond that of a chatbot for communicating with passengers or fixing baggage snags.

“The research teams have demonstrated that the true pain points lie deeper in the coordination of systems and actors that make an airport run. A digital interface may reassure passengers, but without integrated operations behind it, the experience remains broken. The research is instead focusing on AI for coordination of systems to connect airlines, ground handlers, security and local authorities to act faster and smarter together,” says Nayebi of 91��ɫ’s Lassonde School of Engineering.

Maleknaz Nayebi Photograph by Chris Robinson

“Airports today are more than transit hubs, they are miniature cities with complex infrastructures, vast workforces, massive temporary users and immense economic influence. They are critical infrastructures that must continue to function in the face of pandemics, extreme weather, system disruptions and large-scale events such as the FIFA World Cup.”

AI can be used to predict and mitigate weather disruptions to flights and help coordinate the movement of planes and people inside and outside, as well as identify how resources will be impacted and what will be needed.

Using internal data as well as external emergency preparedness data, AI models and simulations can help anticipate and alleviate the impact on airports and passengers when incidents happen by ensuring airports can respond better during a crisis. This could mean evacuating the airport, deploying fire, police and other emergency crews, crowd management or acting as a hub for aid distribution.

“Using tools such as cameras with AI-based computer vision, airports can now detect a lot of potential hazards on the runway, such as birds, cracks, snow and animals, to prevent a crash. These tools, for example, can detect or identify a wrong person coming into the terminal or understand how passengers will react to a particular incident, like a fire,” says Asgary. “In risk and emergency response, there’s a whole lot AI can do.”

GenAI tools can be used to inform passengers during normal operations, but also in emergencies. With airports being a multicultural and multi-language hub, that information could be translated into each passenger’s first language and sent to their cell phone. “You can’t expect people to respond or react if the emergency is only broadcast in one language,” says Asgary.

“The goal,” says Nayebi, “is to equip airports over the next two to three years with AI-enabled resilience strategies to improve reliability, coordination and ultimately public trust in these vital infrastructures.”

These could include evidence-based guidance for governments and airport authorities, AI systems that anticipate disruptions and optimize airport-wide responses, tools that use data and simulation to support crisis decision-making, and training programs to help decision-makers adopt these tools responsibly and effectively.

Safer, smarter, more resilient airports are possible, says Nayebi. “For governments, the message is clear: supporting innovation in airports is not just about better travel, it is about building national resilience, economic opportunity and public trust.”

CROWD CONTROL

Countless people have died the world over in crowd crush incidents, whether at political rallies, sporting events or concerts, including in Canada, Germany, India, the United States and Ghana.

Concert goers this summer at the Rogers Stadium in Toronto got first-hand experience in the messiness and potential danger of crowds, with some commenting after the first couple of events about the need for better planning, particularly as people were leaving the busy venue. As Toronto and Vancouver prepare to host several FIFA World Cup matches in 2026, averting disaster through proper crowd management is top of mind for Asgary and Nayebi, whose work also includes crowd disaster mapping and simulation.

“Crowd management at large gatherings has become a major focus at various levels,” says Asgary. “While large sports events are common in major Canadian cities, the crowd typical of the World Cup is unfamiliar to crowd managers in Canada.”

“Crowd management is no longer just about counting people; it’s about understanding patterns, predicting risks and adapting in real time."

Nayebi and Asgary say that new and emerging technologies can not only help prepare for crowd management in advance but also provide support during events. They are now integrating these tools with AI and drone technologies to enhance crowd emergency management.

“We tested some of these integration efforts in summer 2025 during the Canada Day event in Vaughan, where our AI and drone-based crowd monitoring team was embedded within the Emergency Management team,” says Asgary. “Our ability to dynamically count and measure crowd behaviour in time and space is a crucial part of crowd management. Using a combination of drone, AI, virtual reality, digital twin and simulation tools, crowd management can be significantly improved.”

With these new technologies, a virtual representation of a concert or sporting event can be created, allowing for a more in-depth view of how to improve crowd management at specific venues.

“Crowd management is no longer just about counting people; it’s about understanding patterns, predicting risks and adapting in real time. By integrating machine learning and simulation with affordable technologies like drones and digital twins, we can design software-driven systems that help prevent tragedies before they unfold,” says Nayebi.

With a recent Global Research Excellence Seed Fund grant from 91��ɫ International, Asgary and Nayebi will also focus on helping multiple African countries by using more affordable technologies like drones and AI for crowd monitoring. In collaboration with Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana and the Africa Council of the International Association of Emergency Managers, the team hopes to develop a lasting partnership focused on research, training and knowledge exchange to reduce the occurrence and impact of crowd disasters.

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Shaping governance

sandramc — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 14:25:33 +0000

In today's interconnected world, global cooperation is crucial for addressing cross-border challenges. It is evident in progress made on climate change, health crises and economic development, often as a result of international frameworks built on shared resources, common rules and mutual support.

91��ɫ researchers are calling for such a coordinated global action to govern artificial intelligence (AI). They say establishing effective frameworks to prevent the intensified risks of digital colonization, deepening inequality, intellectual property (IP) violations and workforce exploitation is crucial.

Associate Professor and Assistant Professor i, both in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, are leading key research and academic initiatives related to AI governance, supported by significant funding for their groundbreaking research in emerging areas.

Teshager Dagne photography by Horst Herget

Dagne, the Ontario Research Chair in Governing Artificial Intelligence in the School of Public Policy & Administration at 91��ɫ’s Markham Campus, has received funding for three collaborative research projects – as co-lead or principal investigator – from the International Development Research Council, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Grants and French Development Agency.

His research explores the role of existing IP laws in shaping AI innovation and highlights how global legal frameworks often fail to account for diverse realities, particularly in the Global South.

“Most of the impact of IP rules on AI relates to whether there have been copyright violations during the training of AI and the development of its datasets, and whether AI-generated content is protected under IP law,” Dagne explains. “In the context of the Global South, it’s far more complex, with
issues of fairness, access, ownership and cultural rights adding important layers to the discussion.”

His current research focuses on African startups and innovators who face barriers in accessing open data and navigating IP frameworks. “This leaves African developers vulnerable to exploitation, as their data and innovations are often used without proper compensation or recognition.”

"In the context of the Global South, it’s far more complex, with issues of fairness, access, ownership and cultural rights adding important layers to the discussion."

He adds that current global rules reflect the legal traditions and economic priorities of countries in the Global North. “These laws, focused on property rights, often don’t align with how innovation occurs in the Global South, where knowledge-sharing tends to be informal, non-proprietary and rooted in open, collaborative practices.”

Li, whose expertise lies in the geopolitical dynamics of AI governance, points out that academic research capacity in the Global South is also limited, affecting how AI-related policies and laws are developed.

“AI governance research remains dominated by high-income Western nations and elite institutions,” says Li. She received support through 91��ɫ’s Global Research Excellence Seed Fund and almost $100,000 in SSHRC funding for her project with the University of Texas at Austin – Shaping the Future of AI: Artificial Intelligence Governance in Global Dynamics. “Much of the Global South, including South Asia, Africa and the Middle East, remains underrepresented in knowledge production and global policy discourse, reinforcing deep inequalities in institutional capacity and participation.”

Muyang Li photography by Chris Robinson

Her SSHRC-funded research investigates how geopolitical dynamics influence the development and dissemination of AI regulation and research, mapping which countries and institutions act as decision-making hubs. It also looks at how these structures reproduce, or sometimes challenge, existing hierarchies in the world system.

A 91��ɫ Centre for Asian Research Faculty Associate, Li says the AI governance research is heavily concentrated in the United States, China, the European Union and the United Kingdom. These regions lead global discussions due to imbalances in both knowledge production and funding distribution across the world.

“Certain universities and research centres act as global hubs, driving much of the research agenda. This concentration raises concerns about limited perspectives and potential bias,” she says, noting that funding, researchers and publications on AI governance are highly concentrated in a small group of elite institutions.

As AI reshapes societies and economies worldwide, the call from these researchers is clear: the future of AI must be governed by frameworks that are as diverse, inclusive and interconnected as the world it aims to serve.

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Two sides of the same microchip

sandramc — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 14:24:35 +0000

As artificial intelligence (AI) weaves its way into many aspects of people’s lives, often in unknown ways, it also raises the risk of hackers exploiting AI’s vulnerabilities and causing real harm.

While that might not seem like a big deal when talking about writing assistance or entertainment, such as the use of GenAI for a building collapse in a Netflix sci-fi series, AI is rapidly becoming integrated into some of the country’s most critical systems – health care, power grids, nuclear power and transportation – and hackers are taking note. AI-enabled cyber threats are capitalizing on vulnerabilities in AI algorithms.

As director of the Behaviour-Centric Cybersecurity Centre (BCCC) at 91��ɫ, Associate Professor , Canada Research Chair in Cybersecurity, is developing vulnerability detection technology to protect network systems against cyberattacks.

“By linking scientific innovation, creative outreach and international collaboration, we ensure advances in AI-driven cybersecurity contribute to a safer, more informed and globally connected digital society.”

“We are using artificial intelligence both to secure critical technologies and to ensure AI itself remains trustworthy. Our AI-powered models are applied to connected and autonomous vehicles, smart devices, decentralized finance systems and the cloud, where they learn patterns of normal behaviour and flag anomalies before harm occurs,” says Lashkari of the School of Information Technology, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies.

“This means detecting malicious signals that could compromise road safety, identifying data leaks from smart homes and detecting fraudulent blockchain transactions across large financial networks.”

Most people will interact with AI via large language models like ChatGPT and Google Gemini, and GenAI platforms, but these systems are increasingly vulnerable to adversarial attacks, data poisoning and malicious misuse.

“Our work develops methods to harden these models, improve their transparency and ensure they remain resilient when deployed in real-world settings. In this way, we are working on both sides of the challenge – using AI to protect people, while also protecting AI from manipulation.”

As a leading cyber threat intelligence centre, the BCCC team investigates innovative ways to secure digital infrastructure by detecting, analyzing and mitigating these threats through real-world challenges.

"We are using artificial intelligence both to secure critical technologies and to ensure AI itself remains trustworthy."

The work is shared in accessible and innovative ways through the Understanding Cybersecurity Series, a global knowledge mobilization program, through books, blogs, open datasets, analytics platforms, workshops and even the international Cybersecurity Cartoon Award. The initiatives are strengthened through national and international collaborations, including with the National Cybersecurity Consortium, research partnerships with Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, academic and industry partners in the United States and ongoing work with research teams in Europe, including Ireland, Germany and Italy.

“By linking scientific innovation, creative outreach and international collaboration, we ensure advances in AI-driven cybersecurity contribute to a safer, more informed and globally connected digital society,” says Lashkari.

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91��ɫ researchers bring exhibit on conjugal slavery to Sierra Leone

sylvestc — Thu, 10 Aug 2023 14:09:39 +0000

The two women were abducted as children in the 1990s, forced into marriages, and held captive for years by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a rebel group in Uganda. Amony was wearing the green skirt the day she was freed from LRA captivity.

Ododo Wa – “our stories” in the Acholi language – features artwork, short films, photographs and Amony and Acan’s personal belongings in order to help detail their stories of survival and their paths to freedom.

The pair helped develop the exhibit alongside Isabella Masson, curator at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, and in partnership with Professor Annie Bunting, 91��ɫ researcher and the director of a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Grant project, Conjugal Slavery in War: Partnerships for the study of enslavement, marriage and masculinities.

Annie Bunting, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

“It is our hope that the exhibit helps survivors open up about their experiences and helps them find the courage to advocate for their needs,” said
Amony, now a human rights advocate in Uganda, and co-founder of the Women’s Advocacy Network, alongside Acan.

The exhibit is one of the outcomes of the SSHRC grant and aims to amplify the experiences of women in war, and the advocacy and work of survivors. It mobilizes what Bunting refers to as “difficult knowledge” by employing creative methods to share these experiences.

Outside the exhibition in Grafton, Sierra Leone \ PHOTO CREDIT: Annie Bunting

“The traveling exhibit has been shared in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and now in Sierra Leone, facilitating important conversations about justice and reparations from the perspective of survivors and mobilizing community-based research,” said Bunting, a professor of law and society in the Department of Social Science.

Bunting and the research team, alongside Amony and Acan, flew to Sierra Leone earlier this year to launch the exhibit at the Sierre Leone Peace Museum in Freetown. It was a significant trip as the Peace Museum stands on the site of what once was the Special Court of Sierra Leone (SCSL) – the first international court to find abduction for forced marriage in conflict situations to be a crime against humanity.

The exhibition team pose for a group photo outside the Peace Museum \ PHOTO CREDIT: Solomy Awiidi

For Acan, taking the exhibit to Sierra Leone helps continue her and Amony’s advocacy work for justice and reparations.

“Survivors must not be forgotten,” she said. “They need to be supported to heal in a holistic and survivor-centred manner for them to live meaningful and productive lives.”

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Digital knowledge hub supports French as a second language

sylvestc — Sat, 15 Oct 2022 22:57:48 +0000

A thriving new knowledge hub, Camerise, launched at 91��ɫ’s bilingual Glendon Campus, aims to change that. Camerise provides students, educators and administrators in Canada’s FSL community with a digital platform of resources and tools rooted in the Open Science Framework (OSF). The OSF is a web application that is used for data sharing, open access and open education and that promotes a culture of sharing of scholarly, pedagogical resources and tools.

The hub is directed by three co-leads, Professors Muriel Péguret and Dominique Scheffel-Dunand and researcher Mirela Cherciov. The trio developed Camerise in response to a call for applications by Heritage Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Education, to help address recruitment and retention of FSL educators.

“With its Open Science Framework, Camerise aims at supporting the involvement of all FSL stakeholders in the development of networked research and educational practices that give teachers, learners and researchers new opportunities in knowledge co-creation,” says Scheffel-Dunand.

Camerise, in English, is the haskap berry, an indigenous berry that thrives in boreal climates, grows in clusters, and is now cultivated in Canada for its nutritional value. The hub aspires to make similar contributions in terms of vitality and evolution – an ever-blooming community of practice around FSL. The hub is already on its way to achieving its objectives through the launch of its second prototype.

“The team behind Camerise are a group of passionate and innovative FSL stakeholders of different ages, backgrounds and expertise. Together they form the beginning of a Canadian community of practice around FSL, pioneering a culture of sharing and openness. With each iteration of the hub, new tools and opportunities for collaborating are being offered, and the community grows,” says Muriel Péguret. Now at the beginning of its third year, Camerise is working on its third prototype and is looking for ways to become self-sustaining.

Un pôle de connaissances numériques pour le français langue seconde

Faculty Muriel Péguret campus Glendon, Mirela Cherciov Chercheuse campus Glendon, Dominique Scheffel-Dunand Faculté des arts libéraux et études professionnelles

Financement Patrimoine canadien; ministère de l’Éducation de l’Ontario

Le bilinguisme anglais-français est une caractéristique essentielle de la vie canadienne, mais le pays connaît actuellement une pénurie importante d’enseignants de français langue seconde (FLS). Camerise, le nouveau centre dynamique de connaissances qui a été lancé à Glendon, le campus bilingue de 91��ɫ, vise à y remédier.

Camerise fournit aux membres de la communauté étudiante, du corps enseignant et des administrations de la communauté FLS du Canada une plateforme numérique de ressources et d’outils ancrés dans l’Open Science Framework (OSF). L’OSF est une application Web utilisée pour le partage en libre accès de données et de ressources éducatives qui promeut une culture de partage des ressources et outils pédagogiques et savants.

Le pôle est codirigé par les professeures Muriel Péguret et Dominique Scheffel-Dunand et la chercheuse Mirela Cherciov. Le trio a développé Camerise en réponse à un appel à candidatures lancé par Patrimoine Canada et le ministère de l’Éducation de l’Ontario afin de contribuer au recrutement et au maintien en fonction des enseignants de FLS.

« Avec l’OSF, Camerise vise à soutenir l’implication de tous les intervenants en FLS dans le développement de pratiques de recherche et d’éducation en réseau qui offrent aux enseignants, aux apprenants et aux chercheurs de nouvelles possibilités de création de connaissances », déclare Mme Scheffel-Dunand.

Le mot Camerise désigne une baie indigène florissante dans les climats boréaux où elle pousse en grappes. Elle est maintenant cultivée au Canada pour sa valeur nutritionnelle. De même, le pôle aspire à apporter des contributions en matière de vitalité et d’évolution afin de créer une communauté de pratique prospère autour du FLS. Il est sur le point d’atteindre ses objectifs grâce au lancement de son deuxième prototype.

« Les intervenants passionnés et innovants que l’équipe de Camerise réunit sont d’âges, horizons et expertises variés. Ces personnes forment le début d’une communauté de pratique canadienne autour du FLS et sont les pionnières d’une culture de partage et d’ouverture. À chaque itération du pôle, de nouveaux outils et de nouvelles possibilités de collaboration sont proposés, et la communauté s’agrandit », explique Muriel Péguret.

Camerise, qui entame sa troisième année d’existence, travaille sur son troisième prototype et cherche des moyens de devenir financièrement autonome.

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91��ɫ innovation opens the door to decentralized data sharing

sylvestc — Sat, 15 Oct 2022 22:13:26 +0000

Data has become one of the most in-demand commodities of the 21^st century, with the potential to transform nations, sectors and communities. However, it is challenging to collect, share and access. Software and technology developed at 91��ɫ is set to change this, disrupting the way data is shared, with the potential to transform Canada’s biggest data-driven industries, including health care, finance and education.

Traditionally, data is exchanged by creating copies that are shared by data owners for end users. Bitnobi offers up a different approach – a privacy-protected decentralized data sharing platform that keeps the raw data at the source and sends only aggregate data to the end user.

The idea originated with a group including Marin Litoiu, a former IBM scientist and now a professor of software engineering in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and in the School of Information Technology. Litoiu is the founder and chief scientific officer of Bitnobi.

"In the last two decades or so, data has become the new gold. It's used in AI and machine learning, and in intelligent systems in general."

“In the last two decades or so, data has become the new gold. It’s used in AI and machine learning, and in intelligent systems in general,” says Litoiu. “Its potential for improving every aspect of economy and society is tremendous.”

Litoiu was inspired to overcome the major challenges of data sharing and wanted to create a way to advance research and discovery without compromising privacy.

In 2013, a team composed of Litoiu, Michael Smit (Dalhousie University) and Litoiu’s postdoctoral Fellows at the time, Bradley Simmons and Mark Schtern, approached the problem of data sharing with a solution called DaaSPatcher, with the idea that data could be dispatched as a service. The group met with Hassan Jaferi, a commercialization manager with Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners (formerly MaRS Innovation) in 2014 with the goal of taking the technology a step further.

Hassan Jaferi, Bitnobi Inc.

Through 91��ɫ, they commercialized the technology and launched the data sharing startup. The name Bitnobi was inspired by “bit” – the ones and zeros that make up the language of computer science – and “shinobi,” closely related to “ninja.”

“Our technology eliminates the need to transfer copies of raw data from a data owner to a data consumer,” explains Jaferi, now CEO of Bitnobi. “Bitnobi flips the paradigm of data sharing from a ‘need to know’ to a ‘need to share.’”

By using a web interface provided by Bitnobi, end users run their software and data custodian premises, while the owners of the data remain in control at all times, determining the rules of engagement as to what and how much data can be accessed.

What Bitnobi offers is “clean, segmented and anonymized data,” explains Litoiu. “Bitnobi governs and audits usage policies on behalf of data custodians and federates data from different sources to prevent unauthorized usage.”

Given the number of serious data breaches that occur internationally, it’s a simple yet ingenious approach to data sharing that will prove to be a gamechanger for Canadian innovation.

Bitnobi has already caught the attention of major private and public sector partners in health care, government and defense – areas that are defined by heavy bureaucracy, data security, data privacy and governance. In a new partnership, Diabetes Action Canada is engaging Bitnobi to deploy a decentralized health care data-sharing network that will unlock diabetes data.

“Corporate organizations, like Roche Canada, have been very supportive of startup companies like Bitnobi in terms of providing us with the opportunity to develop proof of concept activities,” says Jaferi.

Marin Litoiu remains close to Bitnobi as a board member and chief science officer. His lab at 91��ɫ works with Bitnobi to envision future problems to tackle. Bitnobi has employed several 91��ɫ graduates and the University remains a shareholder in the company.

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